After Dark: Sexplorations

Note: A ticket to Thursday evening adult-only hours does not guarantee admission to special programs with limited seating. Tickets for limited-capacity programs will be made available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.

Live Nude Cells!

Sex involves the exchange of genetic information resulting in evolution and specialization—and is the reason you have your father's nose. Peek into the whys and hows of sex and discover some of the surprising ways nature brings sperm and eggs together.

See sexual deception of the floral kind, tease apart the mechanics of sex toys, and find out how eggs and sperm may become the most unique and specialized cells in the body with UCSF professor Dr. Diana Laird.

Uncover the astonishing sex lives of flowers with Exploratorium emeritus biologist Dr. Karen Kalumuck, and taste honeys made from different nectars—or sample a sautéed bull testicle. Guess which sperm is human, catch insects in the act, and watch a live egg become fertilized.

Arouse your scientific curiosity in romantic love, and hear the history behind "hysterical paroxysms" from Good Vibrations sexologist Dr. Carol Queen. Explore interventions for infertility, flirt with the advantages of sexual versus asexual reproduction, and get up close and personal with dissections of gonads, ovaries, and other naughty bits.

From your own DNA to cinematic exposés, it's all on display at After Dark.